You could say Devin the Dude is rap's best kept secret. He has appeared on tracks by Jay Z and R Kelly, The Roots, De La Soul, Ice Cube, Too Short, Dr Dre, ESG and Snoop Dogg but despite working with some of hip-hop's biggest names, he has somehow remained under the mainstream radar. Which works just fine for Devin the Dude, aka Devin Copeland.
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"I like the fact that I can walk to the store for a loaf of bread and not get ambushed by people. I kinda get the best of both worlds. I'm kinda low-pro," he says with trademark humility, adding "I like the fact that I can smoke weed in certain places where most are not allowed."
Copeland makes no secret of his love for the green and its influence on his music. In his 20 years with Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records, some of his album titles have included Waitin' to Inhale, Suite 420 and Do Not DistHerb.
It might come as no surprise then, that Devin the Dude is good mates with Snoop Dogg, also famously a fan of the herb. "Yeah, me and Snoop are really cool. He's like a close cousin or long lost brother or somethin'," says Copeland. "We have a certain chemistry in the lab as well. We both like to incorporate weed in our music so that's at least one thing that'll increase longevity in our careers. As long as the fans smoke, we'll most likely have a job."
More recently, his love for weed has seen Copeland branch out into acting, starring in the 2012 marijuana-themed movie Hillbilly Highway 420 as Ray Ray with Lil Duval. "It was great!" he says. .
Copeland's love of music developed early. Growing up in St Petersburg in Florida, he lived in front of the local radio station, WRXB. "The DJs or PDs use to throw away records on Wednesdays," he says. "Either the records were warped, slightly scratched or simply promos. I would climb in the dumpster and snatch them all. I collected quite a few while in the third grade."
In the fourth grade, Devin moved to Texas, where he is still based, and had to leave all his records behind. It was there his grandmother made him join the church choir. By the seventh grade, when he first tried smoking weed at a skating rink, Devin the Dude had discovered his twin passions.
Hip-hop originated and evolved in New York City, with a gangsta rap style developing on the west coast in LA, with those two urban centres dominating the scene throughout the '80s and '90s. By the '90s, a southern style began to emerge too. "Yes, Texas, and especially Houston has quite a few MCs. It's been nice to be a part of it all. Houston now has a signature sound and has respect in the hip-hop world now.
"The independent record label owners that've been grinding for years here in H-Town are my influences. Rap A Lot kinda started it out here." After 20 years in the game, in 2015 Copeland is travelling to Australia for the first time. "I'm hyped to come out to Australia," he says. "I don't know what took so long." He will be bringing, he says, "A smooth, groovy, laid-back and of course, a smoke-filled room! Well, let's hope."
Devin the Dude
When: Wednesday, September 23.
Where: Transit Bar, Civic.
Cost: $30 + bf available from moshtix.com.au. 18+
